Garment stay and fastener.



No. 880,287. PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

. L. w. PARRIS.

GARMENT STAY AND PASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25. 1907'.

a itozmug THE uonms PEI'ERS cm, wasumcronr, D. c.

stay member comprises an elongated body ,or prongs 4.

LUCY W. FARRIS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

GARMENT STAY AND FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

Application filed June 25.1907. semi No. 380.691.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUoY W. FARRIS, a citizen of the United. States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented new and useful Improvements in Garment Stays andFasteners, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to a stay and fastener for garments and dressgoods, the object of the invention being to provide a device of thischaracter adapted for spreading and-holding in shape collars, ribbons,belts, andother similar articles, and for fastening the meeting ends ofbelts and collars and other analogous purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined stay andfastener which is simple in construction, efficient in use, inexpensiveof production and serves in ad-' dition as a dress ornament.

The invention consists of the features ofconstruction, combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a view ofone side of a portion of a collar with the invention applied there to.Fig, 2 is a view of the reverse side thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of the stay member of the device. Fig. 4 is a similar view of oneof the fastening members thereof.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the stay member and 2the fastening members of the device. The

portion 2 which may be plain or ornamental, as desired, and which ispreferably provided with ornamental terminals or heads 3, each. of whichis formed at diametrically opposite sides with inturned spurs, points Inthe present instance, the stay member is illustrated as being formed ofsheet metal, its body portion consisting of two parallel strips joinedto the end terminals or heads 3, which are of ring form; but any otherequivalent construction may be employed. Each fastening member 2 iscomposed of a single piece of s ring wire, nickel-plated or otherwisesuitab y finished, the wire being bent to provide a substantiallyV-shaped body portion 5 from the ends of which extend spring lockingarms 6, which are inwardly curved or offset to interlock with the prongsof the stay member, as hereinafter described. At the outer ends of thearms 6 the wire of which-the fastening member is composed is loo ed andhas its end portions bent reverse y or inwardly towardthe body portion 5to provide guard fingers 7, which 'are longitudinally curved insegmental form to adapt them toextend or overlap the free ends of theprongs on lines inside the offset portions of the arms 6.

In Figs. 1 and 2, I have illustrated one mode of use of the device as astay for a collar or belt 8 to hold the same spread or stretched out andprevent it from folding or wrinkling in use. A series of the devicesarranged at proper intervals around or along the length of a collar orbelt may be employed for this purpose, and by reference to Figs. 1 and 2it will be seen that the stay member is arranged upon the inner side ofthe collar or belt to extend vertically (transversely) thereof and hasits prongs 4 passed through the belt and projecting over upon the outerside of the belt, the fabric being hooked onto the prongs in an obviousmanner. The stay as thus applied is secured in position against possibledisplacement by a pair of the fastening members 2, which are applied onthe outer side of the belt, as indicated in Fig. 2, by springing thearms 6 into locking engagement with the bight portions of the prongs 4,which lie in the concavities formed by the offsets, by which thefastener is held from shifting in either direction longitudinally of thestay and also transversely thereof. The looped portions of the arms ofthe fastener provide grips by which said arms may be sprung inward forengagement and release. The construction and arrangement of the lockingarms insures a firm connection, but, in order to obtain additionalsecurity, the fingers 7 are provided and overlie the prongs to preventany tendency of the fastening member being forced out of engagement withthe prongs under strain during the use of the garment. The device mayalso be used for connecting the meeting ends of collars, belts and'otherlike articles of dress, in which event the stay member is arranged onthe inner side of the inner meeting edge and both meeting edges hookedover the prongs which are thereby passed therethrough, after which thefastening members are exteriorly applied, as above described, and thecollar may be secured to the band of the waist by additional stays andfastening devices or in any of the customary ways. The device is alsosusceptible of other uses and provides an i and a fastening memberhaving re movable spring arms to interlock with the prongs. c

2. A device of the character described comprising a stay member havingprongs, and a fastening member having inwardly off-set spring arms tointerlock with the prongs.

3. A device of the character described comprising a stay member havinginwardly bendable. prongs, and a fastening member formed. of a singlepiece of wire bent to provide a body portion having spring armsextending therefrom and offset to interlock withthe prongs, the freeends of the wire being looped to provide spring guard fingers adapted tobear upon the outer faces of the prongs on lines inside the off-setportions of the arms.

atively 4. A device of the character described comprising a stay memberprovided at each end with a pair of prongs, and fastenings having armsadapted to interlock with -the prongs and spring-fingers.

5. A device of the character described comprising a stay member providedwith a pair of s aced prongs, and wire fastening members liavinginwardly offset arms adapted to interlock with the prongs, and springguard fingers adapted to overlie the prongs.

6. A device of the character described comprising a member having pron sadapted to ass through a garment or -other object and bent inwardlytoward each other, and a fastening member formed of wire and havinginwardly offset arms adapted to lie beneath and interlock with saidprongs, said arms terminating in spring fingers adapted to bear upon theouter faces of the prongs.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence oftwo witnesses.

LUCY W. FARRIS. Witnesses:

JOHN A. BARNES, BETTIE J. Snoop.

